Benchmade 805 or 806?

T

Tsme

Joined
Feb 1, 2004
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101
I'm looking at these two knives and wondering about their respective usefulness. A few things seem to be obvious from the Benchmade site- the 806 has a more tactical blade shape, a hole rather than a stud, D2 steel rather than 440C, and it's more expensive. Aside from these issues, does anyone have any experience with these knives and how well they work in use? Obviously the D2 steel in the 806 is great stuff for cutting and for keeping an edge, but the 805 looks sturdier all around.

Thanks!
Bill D.
 
i like the 806 myself, the 2 knives are very similar, both are good, main diff is peg vs a hole for opening, aesthetically i like the 806 better myself, not crazy about the 805, dont care for the pegs,but again both are perfectly servicable knives, good ones really, the 806 is prob my fav BM of all, i like the whole AFCK series myself, cant go wrong w/any of them imho.

the D2 is the better steel, but the 440 is ok too for most anything,
 
I just recently got the 806, so haven't had a chance to really use it yet. I like D2 steel, and I like the hole on it. The blade does have a slimmer profile, but it's a stout blade. A lot of guys here swear by the 806-with good reason I think. Very tough knife!
That said, I have to be fair. I haven't even held an 805. There's one in a local store, but it is the display model and is strapped to a pegboard. It looks stout. The handle is very similar to the 806. Steel and ergos are probably the only difference.
A knifemaker(sorry, I forgot your name!) said on the Buck Forum recently that he liked 440C steel very much because he could get a razor edge with it, and it would hold it.
Depends on the heat treat I guess. Glockman is the two-fisted 805 knifeslinger around here-it's his favorite BM and is his edc. Maybe he'll chime in and give you some feedback.
Either way you go, you'll end up with a very good, solid knife. Hope this helps.
 
I've had both models for several years.

The handles on the knives are exactly the same, blades are interchangeable. The primary differences are the obvious ones already pointed out - the reason for the increased price of the 806 is the blade coating (which adds about $20 to the SRP on any of their knives) and D2.

I personally prefer the 806 over the 805 because the blade profile is more suited for the type of utility work I do with it. If I am going to be doing a lot of heavy utility cutting the 806 is my go-to utility knife 8 out of 10 times.

Although I am a huge fan of Benchmade, I have been a little less than thrilled with their D2 when compared to Dozier's (THE Benchmark of how D2 should perform IMO). It seems to chip too easily although it does hold an edge a long time.

The high thin grind of the 805 makes it a better slicer but if you do a lot of tip work you may like the 806 better.

The beauty of 440c is that it may not hold an edge as long as the D2 but you can sharpen it back to a razor in 1/3 of the time or less.

If I had to choose between one or the other it would be the 806 but depending on what your intended use would be the 805 may be a better fit.

To be 100% honest I would prefer the 806 to be made available in M2 or a premium stainless steel, I would buy two if they made them available.
 
cpirtle said:
I've had both models for several years.

The handles on the knives are exactly the same, blades are interchangeable. The primary differences are the obvious ones already pointed out - the reason for the increased price of the 806 is the blade coating (which adds about $20 to the SRP on any of their knives) and D2.

I personally prefer the 806 over the 805 because the blade profile is more suited for the type of utility work I do with it. If I am going to be doing a lot of heavy utility cutting the 806 is my go-to utility knife 8 out of 10 times.

Although I am a huge fan of Benchmade, I have been a little less than thrilled with their D2 when compared to Dozier's (THE Benchmark of how D2 should perform IMO). It seems to chip too easily although it does hold an edge a long time.

The high thin grind of the 805 makes it a better slicer but if you do a lot of tip work you may like the 806 better.

The beauty of 440c is that it may not hold an edge as long as the D2 but you can sharpen it back to a razor in 1/3 of the time or less.

If I had to choose between one or the other it would be the 806 but depending on what your intended use would be the 805 may be a better fit.

To be 100% honest I would prefer the 806 to be made available in M2 or a premium stainless steel, I would buy two if they made them available.
Click to expand...
EXACTLY!...Except that I happen to like the blade of my 805 just a LITTLE bit better than that of my 806, as I like the slightly wider blade better on the 805, than the pointier, narrower blade of the 806. As far as thumb-studs VS: "the hole" goes, I'm thinking that the thumb-studs are just alittle bit more positive in opening for me.

Actually, you can't go wrong with either one, so get both!
 
glockman99 said:
Actually, you can't go wrong with either one, so get both!
Click to expand...

Well, I'm halfway there. :-) Cheaperthandirt.com has 10 Benchmade 806D2s (plain edge) and 6 806SD2s (combo edge) at $103.53 each, a great price. These are the axis lock versions. I got mine now :-) and the rest will probably go fast. BTW, I've noticed a few surprisingly cheap 806s out there that are cheap because they're the earlier version without the Axis Lock. I almost got fooled until I read the description; if it doesn't mention the Axis Lock then the knife almost certainly has a liner lock. Learn new things all the time...

Bill D.
 
Tsme said:
Well, I'm halfway there. :-) Cheaperthandirt.com has 10 Benchmade 806D2s (plain edge) and 6 806SD2s (combo edge) at $103.53 each, a great price. These are the axis lock versions. I got mine now :-) and the rest will probably go fast. BTW, I've noticed a few surprisingly cheap 806s out there that are cheap because they're the earlier version without the Axis Lock. I almost got fooled until I read the description; if it doesn't mention the Axis Lock then the knife almost certainly has a liner lock. Learn new things all the time...

Bill D.
Click to expand...
The liner-lock version of the 806 was the 800.
 
glockman99 said:
The liner-lock version of the 806 was the 800.
Click to expand...

Glockman,

Thanks for the correction. I suspect that the knives may have been prominently labeled as the AFCK and I didn't notice the different number. This was on a couple of sites fairly recently. My mistake was in assuming that AFCK and 806 had always meant the same thing. Here's what I found at knifecenter.com that may have led me astray: "Benchmade Knives AFCK Advanced Folding Combat Knife. A classic with G-10 handles and a hole in the blade to allow easy opening. These may be available in a variety of steels as well as with either liner locking system or AXIS Lock." However, that particular dealer no longer has the 800.

Bill D.
 
i do believe the are advanced folding CAMPING knife now, no good for SD lol.....how retarded
 
I have a 805 axis that I've carried for two years. I have abused it no end, and it is still OK. I usually carry one AFCK style knife and two smaller knives, those are usually spydercos.

The 806 AFCK is the old AFCK with the liner lock replaced by the axis lock. The AFCK was a Chris Carraci tactical design based on the old Spyderco police model(That's what Chris says). I think he was the first one to put the cutout for your finger in the handle. I'm not sure about the fingershelf to choke up on the handle, that's been around for sometime. I like the fingershelf, it allows me much more control when using the blade. Your longest finger in the cutout will prevent your index finger slipping off the fingershelf onto the blade.

Sadly, Chris no longer works with either Spyderco or BM. There were some issues, I believe. Chris was also critical of the new axis AFCK.

Also, in the beginning, I think Spyderco didn't want to do the AFCK as it was concerned with PC, and the fear that folders specifically meant for cutting people would result in all folders being banned. So Chris went to BM.

Going back to the knife:

The cutout is supposed to guide your hand into a good grip on the handle fast, a "tactical" quality. Also, when pulling back on the drawcut, you pull on the cutout with your index finger to retain the handle.

The curved back of the handle allows a palm-reinforced grip, that helps your hand not slip onto blade on heavy impacts or thrusts(if the handle is slippery with blood, etc). You mat notice that the G-10 of the BM handle is smoother than many other brands. I like it that way, because it slides in an out of the pocket more easily. The problem is that it gets slippery more easily, hence the usefulness of the cutout and the rounded butt.

It appears that the martial arts community embraced the AFCK. Its variants with roughly the same kind of handle are the Emerson Commander(with the wave opener), Spyderco Yojimbo and a whole lot of other models from other brands. You could say that maybe tactical knives are supposed to have the same characteristics as the AFCK.

The old linerlock AFCK had the clip placed on the pivot end, to ride tip down. To me, this is the way the AFCK works best, if you are concerned about ease and speed of presentation.

But when BM put the axis lock on it, it was given the option of having the clip on the butt end, to ride tip-up. In my opinion, this is not ideal, for the 806, with its oval hole. It needs much more to upend the knife, shuffle your grip up(since the handle is long) and stick your thumb into the hole, you could miss it under stress.

With the stud, it is a bit easier, so that's my choice, since the 440C is OK for me.

If you carry firearms then this is not relevant, as your AFCK might be more of a utility knife.

Also the 805 has a higher grind, might be better in slicing?

Lastly, when carried tip-up, the AFCK has a very low profile, if you are carrying it in your vertical slacks pocket instead of jeans. No metal shows, just a little bit of butt and the clip. The way it clips, it also does not cause funny ripples around your pocket. Not many folders carry this way.

To me, the AFCK is a very "safe" knife. It does everything OK.
 
I have had an 806D-2 for a few years now. I love everything about it except the blade finish that I have rubbed off with some heavy use. Can't go wrong with this kinfe. Both knives that you are considering are very well built. You are going to be the one that will be useing the knife. Get what you want and I think you will be happy with your choice. by saying that I am not trying to offend anyones opinion. just my 2 cents worth. Good luck with your choice
 
I've carried an older AFCK (800SBT) basically since they came out. Love the knife, and have considered going with an 806D2 for a while.
 
I just got my 806D2 in the mail not but 15min ago. I am the happiest kid on the block right now, everything is awesome about it!
 
My daily carry was an 800 for a few years, loved the knife and it always performed well but I got an attitude about ATS-34 so I sold it and started carrying a mini socom with 154CM. Loved the knife but I missed the larger size of the 800. Watched the For Sale forum here and found a lightly used 806D2 at a great price so bought it. I don't care for the blade coating but it is a great knife, love the axis lock, facilitates the Brownie pop easily. My son got his first deer (button buck) this past November and a teacher wanted the spine for a class she was teaching. After we finished removing the backstrap I took the 806 and ripped down through the rib bones on both sides (carcass was hanging) and it would sever 4 to 5 rib bones with each pull. I was impressed with the performance.
 
The AFCK and the recent 806 series has been one of those production blades that I always seem to go back to. In fact, it is probably my most carried and used production folders I' ve ever owned. The Axis lock mechanism is a genius design. And the D2 steel is a step in the right direction. But Benchmade needs to acknowledge and put into action that no matter what blade steel they use, ATS 34, 154 CM, 440C, M2 or D2, it must have a high and or hollow grind in order for them to cut efficiently! All other factors being equal, a thicker ground blade will simply never cut as good as a thinner high hollow!

N.
 
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